1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to systems for registering and recording the acceleration (or deceleration) of commercial or private motor vehicles and other human-operated equipment. In particular, the present invention relates to systems for detecting, monitoring, and storing acceleration and other safety parameter data, along with time and position data, for immediate usage or later retrieval.
2. Description of the Background
Safe operational conditions for any motor vehicle require that acceleration (or deceleration) events associated with forward/backward movement, braking, and turning do not exceed parameters which (1) would stress the structural integrity of the given vehicle type/model, (2) would represent sensible driving tactics based on existing road conditions (i.e. the parameters for good versus inclement weather conditions would vary), (3) would represent sensible driving tactics based on existing road design (e.g. poorly designed highway on/off ramps, curving/winding roads where the posted speed limit is incompatible with driving in good/excellent weather conditions), (4) may cause load shifts within the vehicle, (5) are considered excessive as indicated by vehicle tire wear, (6) would challenge a vehicle""s resistance to roll-over during a turning event, and (7) demonstrate that the vehicle has been operated in an unsafe manner.
In order to reduce insurance and other expenses caused by injuries to employees, employers of truck drivers or large commercial equipment operators often set forth safety policies including guidelines for vehicle operation. Unfortunately, the prior art devices lack any method of consistently and accurately measuring and recording an individual""s operation of a vehicle, making the policing of any such guidelines extremely difficult.
Systems for monitoring vehicular use are well known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,906 to Weakley discloses an apparatus for monitoring the manner in which a vehicle is driven. The apparatus includes a number of mercury switches which are arranged to detect excessive accelerative forces in chosen horizontal directions and in the vertical direction. Each switch is so arranged that contacts at the lower end of the capsule are normally bridged by the mercury but are open circuited when the mercury is subjected to a predetermined accelerative force. Detectors sense the open circuiting of a switch and cause an alarm to be sounded and the advance of a counter. This invention does not record the time or position of the vehicle at the moment an acceleration parameter is exceeded.
Another example of the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,964 to Rettig et al. which discloses an apparatus and method for storing various vehicle operating characteristics upon sensing a vehicle acceleration having a magnitude that exceeds a predetermined limit. In this manner, the vehicle owner or fleet manager can determine whether the vehicle operator uses the service brakes excessively. This invention is drawn specifically to the braking process and does not record the time or position of the vehicle at the moment the acceleration parameter is being measured.
Yet a third example is that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,087 to Lemelson. It discloses a system and method for monitoring the performance of a motor vehicle. The vehicle""s instantaneous accelerations in at least two directions are continually sensed and stored as coded signals in a computer memory along with associated time and date codes. By means of inertial navigation and/or radio transmissions from global positioning system satellites, the vehicle""s global position is also computed and stored. The stored performance variables are analyzed over a period of time in order to evaluate how the vehicle is being driven. When an erratic or otherwise hazardous driving pattern is detected, signals may be generated to warn the driver and/or traffic authorities. This system, however, does not possess the ability to vary acceleration parameters in accordance with changing weather conditions or poorly designed roads. It also differs from the present invention due to its continuous sensing approach as compared with the present invention""s on-demand, or intermittent, approach to acceleration event recordation.
In light of the above information, it would therefore be advantageous to provide a system for accurately and consistently measuring and recording the acceleration (or deceleration) of both private and commercial vehicles and heavy equipment. Operational liability could be reduced if repeated events of unsafe acceleration (or deceleration) could be identified and corrected for any given operator or typically traveled route due to poor operating practices, or road, vehicle, or weather conditions.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a system for detecting, measuring, and recording the acceleration (or deceleration) of private and commercial vehicles and heavy equipment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for measuring and recording other safety-related information in such vehicles, such as date/time of occurrence and vehicle position
It is a further object of the present invention to organize the data retrieved from the various sources herein described into a usable and consistent record, which can then be compiled with like records to analyze acceleration/deceleration and other safety parameters in a comprehensive and statistical manner.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the above objects in an economical and facile manner, using existing, commercially available components to the extent practical.
In accordance with the above objects, an improved acceleration/deceleration monitoring system is provided which measures and records events where preset acceleration/deceleration parameters are exceeded. The system is equipped with data communication means that allows an employer, a parent, an insurance carrier, or any other interested person to verify that the vehicle in question is operated in an appropriate manner. The system records each incident of vehicle acceleration (or deceleration) that exceeds established parameters while noting the date, time of day, and location of the incident. The information retrieved is compiled in a data record and stored in a storage system for instantaneous use or retrieval when desired.